


Friends From High-ish Places

by shauds



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Blue Devil (DCU Comics)
Genre: All Caste Jason Todd, Babies being friends, Dan Cassidy is a weirdness magnet, Friendship, Gen, Marla Bloom being a good parent, Supernatural Elements, kid devil - Freeform, the adults are confused
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24144031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shauds/pseuds/shauds
Summary: Marla Bloom notices that her nephew's made a new friend on set. He's a little strange, but it's cute how invested they are in keeping him in character. Only it's not just on set and it might not be just a character.
Relationships: Eddie Bloomberg & Dan Cassidy, Eddie Bloomberg & Jason Todd, Marla Bloom & Dan Cassidy, Marla Bloom & Eddie Bloomberg, Marla Bloom & Jason Todd
Comments: 20
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

Eddie was in a hurry. If he weren’t he never would have run down that alley that Aunt Marla always told him to avoid. But picking up lunch was **his** job while they were on set, and he didn’t want to get there late and have the food be all cold by the time he picked it up. If he didn’t care about Aunt Marla and Dan getting a warm lunch, he would have steered clear of the alley just the way she’d told him to, honest.

” _Keep your mind clear…_ ”

”Huh?” He might not have noticed the words, with how soft they were, but the tone they were said in was so serious, and the alley have them an echoey quality that they set the hairs on the back of his neck prickling. Or maybe that was just the chilly wind that had picked up. He stopped his dash down the alley to find the source.

” _Let go of the darkness…_ ” There was a boy in an all grey ninja outfit standing at the other end of the alley, where Eddie had entered from, standing in a fighting stance like he was in some action movie. “ _Embrace the light._ ”.

”Hey!” Eddie called out and started towards him. “Are you practicing your lines?” He’d met a ton of kid actors since he’d come to Hollywood, but they weren’t much fun to hang out with a lot of the time, and when they were, they were too busy for him. There was something a little otherworldly about this boy, though, something that piqued his interest in a way the others didn’t. “You’re pretty good.”

” **Strike**!”

When they boy moved, it was almost too fast for Eddie to see. It was like one second he was twelve feet away, and the next he was right **there** and he'd brought more of that weird, prickling feeling with him. Again, lightning fast, the boy struck out at Eddie, a fist against his chest, another, and then an open palm strike. The air funneled through the strike, thick, black smoke gathered, then erupted from his hand and spread all around them.

Eddie watched it thin out and dissipate into the air, waiting for it to do something, but nothing did, the smoke didn’t have a smell, and even the hits that had preceded it hadn’t been hard enough to hurt.

”What…?” Eddie tried to ask about what the hell had just happened, but was cut off by another palm strike to his chest.

”Strike.” The other boy said again, a little more of the inky smoke spewed out of his hand, but that was it. The boy bent over to peer at Eddie’s chest, then blinked up at him, confusion plain on his face. Whatever that was, he hadn’t been expecting it either. Apparently not finding anything on Eddie, the boy straightened up and turned his eyes to his hand, a hand that didn’t have any smoke bombs or wires or anything attached to it that could have made that smoke.

”Was that a super power?” Eddie asked, backing away a little so he could get a better look at the other boy, at his out of place ways and the loose, ready way he stood. “Oh hell, I bet it was, right? What did it do? Was there a demon in me? Is that what that black smoke was?” Eddie glanced at where he’d seen the last of the stuff dissipate, scooted closer to the boy just in case it was, and it came back. Maybe he could team out and help out.

”No, it was supposed to expel evil.” The boy looked sort of disappointed, tucking his fisted hands into some hard to see pockets with a pout. “There wasn’t any.”

”Really?” Eddie patted at his chest, he didn’t feel like anything had been expelled from him, but that was good thing, right?

The boy nodded curtly.

”That is so cool!” Eddie yelled, **maybe** a little too loud, because the boy pulled quickly away from it covering his ear. Eddie grabbed the boy’s by both arms and leaned in closer. “I do some superhero stuff too, you gotta tell me **all** about it!”

Eddie already got to hang out with Dan, who was the coolest superhero in the world, but it wasn’t every day he got to meet another one, and it wasn’t like Eddie was ever going to complain that he’d gotten to talk with too **many** superheroes.

The was leaning away from Eddie, tilting his head curiously at Eddie, his slate grey eyes wide as he thought. “…okay.”


	2. Chapter 2

Despite how excited he’d been setting off, Gopher hadn’t stuck around for lunch. He’d dropped it off, then run off somewhere with only a shouted promise not to go too far. Busy as she was, Marla had made sure to get that from him at least. Now, it was later, the sun setting after a busy day of filming and phone calls to know it alls who thought they knew her job better than she did. She’d barely noticed the time passing, or that she hadn’t seen her newly acquired kid hanging around the staff since that lunch. 

And that was… bad, probably. Her Gopher was a pretty independent kid, he’d learned to be with her idiot brother and his none the smarter wife as parents, but what was even the point of Marla taking over if she was going to misplace him this easily. Damnit.

She might have been about a half minute from running around the studio screaming his name when her phone rang, Dan’s blue, winking face lighting up the screen.

”Have you heard from him yet?” She asked right away, only realizing later how worried it must have made her sound.

_’Norm spotted him in that park on the front lot when he headed out a couple minutes ago, he’s fine._ ’

”Of course he’s fine, Danny, but it **is** getting late.” Marla had scoffed at him, even though she knew he wouldn’t buy it. “Thank you.”

She couldn’t help the relief that flooded through her when she spotted Eddie slowly swaying back and forth on a swing set, another boy in some costume idle on the swing besides him. She slowed her pace as she approached, she didn't want him to think she was mad at him either.

”What if the demon lord is here somewhere and it threw off the mystical whatever that lets you find it, so you’d think it was me and it can escape?” Eddie was asking, his voice tiny with the distance.

”It doesn’t work like that, S’aru saw it in the future, and he’s never wring about his stuff.” The other boy huffed. She hadn’t heard of a S’aru in the stupid before, but it might have been a new writer. Whatever they were working on had to be new too, she hadn’t seen anyone wearing costumes like that at the studio yet. On that, the boy probably shouldn’t have been talking about a new show before it had even fully started production yet.

”I dunno what to tell you, I’m a superhero, not a demon lord.” Eddie replied, again, with the telling random people those kinds of things either; well at least it was good for his confidence. He kicked off and set the swing in motion.

”You’re gonna be eventually, can’t you just do it now? Essence is gonna laugh at me if I go back like this.” The other boy pouted, his head tilting back and forth in sync with Eddie’s swinging.

”No, I don’t wanna be a demon lord, those guys always get…” Eddie turned his head and noticed Marla moving towards them “Oh, hey Aunt Marla!” He waved and leaped off the swing to meet her. He was practically bouncing with excitement when he spun back to present his new friend to her. “This is Jason! He’s a demon hunting monk that came here to destroy me.” He leaned in close to whisper to her. “I think he got the name confused.”

”That sounds like it’s gonna make a really good movie kiddo.” Marla ruffled her kid’s hair and she let herself lose the tension she hadn't even really noticed she was holding on to, she wrapped her other arm around him to hold him in place and turned the ruffle into a noogie. “I thought I told you not to go too far.”

”Aunt Marla!” Eddie protested, but he was grinning when he freed himself from her, batting at her hand. “Not in front of the demon hunter!” He pouted at her. “I’m tryna be cool here, and he already thinks I’m a demon lord.”

”Aw, does this really look like a demon lord to you?” She squished Eddie’s freckled cheeks between her hands and turned him to face the other kid.

”No.” Jason sighed heavily, the way Eddie did when she told him he needed to finish his schoolwork before he could join her on set.

”See!” Eddie said, the word a little slurred coming from his squished lips, he shook his head, again freeing himself.

”That doesn’t mean anything.” Jason gripped the chains of the swing he'd remained seated on. “Nothing in this world is born evil you know.”

”Ooh, this world?” Eddie strode forward quickly so he was standing over the boy. “Does that mean there’s a world where things are born evil?”

”I don’t know.” Jason’s expression turned thoughtful, he leapt to his feet with a soft gasp, his fists balled at his sides. “If there is, then I can find something that’s already evil to expel!”

This was cute, how serious they were being with this little game of theirs, probably something so do with whatever set the other boy was working on, and Marla really hated to break them up now, but… “Eddie, it getting late, and you’re gonna miss the new ‘Wendy the werewolf stalker’ episode if we don’t hurry home, and Jason’s parents are probably wondering where he is, maybe he should head home too.”

”Jason doesn’t have parents; he was raised by mystical, demon hunting monks.” Eddie said, matter of factly folding his arms as he did.

”Well then the ‘mystical, demon hunting monks are probably wondering where he is.” Marla replied. “Right Jason?”

” **Someone** knows where I am.” Jason said, looking at some point above and to the side of him. “But I do have to go home and ask S’aru some stuff.”

”Oh, okay.” Eddie said, noticeably losing a chunk of his enthusiasm. “I guess it is pretty late, huh?”

No, Marla was not giving in to a pouty face, she was supposed to be parenting now.”Come on, we’ll pick up some ice-cream cake on the way, any flavor.”

”Isn’t that place closed already?” Eddie asked, frowning skeptically up at her. 

”Not yet.”

”Then we have to hurry!” Eddie gasped perhaps more dramatically than the situation called for and began tugging her away. “Bye Jason!” He waved at his friend, who only grinned and waved in return.

They were already halfway off that set before Eddie turned back. “Wait, I…” and the other boy was gone. Eddie’s features sank and he looked up to Marla. “I forgot to ask if he was gonna be back tomorrow.”

He probably would, even extras were rarely around for only one day. “I could ask around to find out which set he’s on if you like, or find his agent if you like.”

”He’s not an actor, Aunt Marla, he doesn’t have a set **or** and agent.” Eddie huffed.

”I’m sure he’ll show up.” She nudged his shoulder, and then broke into some jogging motions on the spot. “Now come on, ice-cream cake.”

”Yeah, let’s go!” Eddie let her take him by the hand as they both hurried out of the studio fast as they could without causing too much of a fuss with any of the people who were still working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or, I there could just be more than 3 or 4 even shorter chapters, and I can update them more frequently.


	3. Chapter 3

There was no need for Marla to find out where Eddie’s friend was working. The kid showed up on her set the next day, not an hour after she did, looking confused and tiny amongst a sea of people milling about with nothing to do, because their star was once again off being heroic somewhere. She might not have noticed him at all if not for James Jesse sidling up to the kid.

”Jason!” Eddie noticed the boy a moment after she did and sprinted off to meet him.

Jason perked up upon noticing Eddie, standing on tiptoes and waving as if to make sure Eddie could see him as he said something to James. Sure, he wasn’t quite as elated as her Gopher at their quick reunion, but it was still nice to see. They chatted enthusiastically, their voices too far for Marla to pick out what they said, but there was a lot more arm waving and head movement to go along with it.

”Aunt Marla!” Eddie called to her as he sprinted back across the lot, dragging Jason along with him. “Can Jason tag along with me on my gophering today? His teachers gave him the day off, and we’re gonna try and figure out where the Devourer of Young Souls is. And James said if we pick up his coffee, we can get cookies with the change, but only if we bring him a cookie too.”

”As long as whoever’s taking care of him knows where he is.” Marla said. They weren’t doing anything big on set today; Danny wasn’t even there to work his magic on the scenes they were supposed to be shooting, and she trusted Eddie to keep both himself and his friend out of trouble.

”She knows.” Jason said with a very serious nod.

”Okay then, let me know if you find any devourers.” Marla waved them off to carry on with their task.

”We will!” Eddie called back over his shoulder as they set off, then turned back to his friend. “I bet you haven’t had a cookie in **years**.”

”I still eat people food, Eddie.” Jason’s voice carried back. “Talia brings these really sweet ones by when she visits.”

**+++**

It wasn’t that the ‘gophering’ thing wasn’t fun. Jason liked going around, seeing all the new, colorful things with someone he hadn’t seen every day of his live almost as far back as he could remember. Someone who didn’t act like Jason was still a baby who didn’t know as much as they did – something he’d been hoping to fix by stopping Neron’s supposed evil protégé, and now that that hadn’t worked out, by beating the Devourer of Young Souls instead.

It was just that the world was a lot bigger and louder and **hotter** than Jason remembered it being. More people, louder people dressed up in colors that were **really** brighter than what Jason remembered them being like. There was also a lot of ‘be careful’ when they picked things up and ‘were you careful’ when they dropped things off when there was nothing dangerous around, which Jason got enough of from Ducra before he came here, but at least she’d told him what he was being careful of. Eddie said that was just how Hollywood was, that most places were a quieter, and Eddie actually still lived out here, so he probably knew more about it that Jason did. 

It **was** fun, it was also a lot more than Jason was used to, than just talking had been the day before after Jason had tried to expel something that wasn’t there from Eddie – he was going with one of Eddie’s assumptions that S’aru was messing with him for that whole thing.

So when they took a break at one of the shaded ends of the lot, Jason was glad to just sit around out of the sun while they looked through cards depicting various evil creatures.

”This one looks like it devours young souls.” Jason said of the card he’d been inspecting, a grayish, humanoid thing with what looked like a giant worm for a head, three more worms for fingers and toes on its three arms and three legs. It’s big, gaping mouth seemed like something made for devouring.

”This is Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos.” Eddie told him, then rifled through the box he kept the cards in to find another. “He likes making people go nuts and brainwashes people into his servants, super evil, and he’s also a shape shifter, see,” Eddie held the card to Jason, this one with an unsettling shadow man on the front. “This is one of his other forms, and sometimes he just looks like a regular, jolly guy. Definitely some kind of soul devourer.”

”He sounds like an Untitled.” Jason said, looking away from the card in hopes it would quell some of the queasiness the image brought on.

”What’s an Untitled?”

”Something to run away from.” It was all the explanation Jason had really gotten himself, and so all he could pass on to Eddie.

”To the nope pile with him then.” Eddie took the card from Jason, and set it along with the card he’d held on the stack of monsters they wouldn’t be going after.

“Hey Gopher, you boy’s find any monsters today?” Eddie’s Aunt walked up behind them and pulled Eddie partly off his seat in a hug.

”Not yet, but we’re making a list.” Eddie somehow managed to squirm in her hold while simultaneously leaning into it.

”I already feel safer.” She squeezed him tighter for a moment before letting him go and leaning over to Jason. ”You’re looking a little red there kid, did you put on any sun block at all today?”

”Sun block?” Jason asked, cocking his head to the side.

”Whoops.” Eddie ducked down a little, a guilty frown on his face. “I don’t think you get that in the mountains.” 

Marla hummed disapprovingly, crossing her arms in front of her. “They do have it here, and for good reason, Jason, if you go around without it in this heat; you’re going to look like a lobster at the end of the day.” She bopped a finger against his nose, and Jason didn’t think it was important enough to tell her that he wasn’t sure what a lobster was.

”Afternoon kids.” Someone else had shown up, and Jason was still too distracted by what Marla had done to notice him at first. Once he did, he couldn’t take his eyes off him. 

The man was huge, and blue, neither of those things in themselves were things Jason hadn’t seen around the Acres before, but the man also had two, horns poking up off the top of his head. If he’d been redder, her would have looked **a lot** like a monster on one of the cards in the ‘nope' pile. Like one of the somethings Ducra had warned him to be careful of.

”Dan, you're back! How did it go, I bet it was awesome.” Eddie wasn’t worried at all about the monster man. He jumped up, his hands on the table and leaned across it far as could to get close as he could.

”No, and the next time the sky turns red, remind me to lock myself in my beach house and not come out until it’s over.” Dan dropped into an empty chair with a groan, his elbows on the table and his head cradled in his hands. 

”Aw, did you at least get to beat up something cool?” Eddie calmed down considerably and sat down in his own seat to watch this **Dan** at a more equal level.

”Nah, Gopher, it was all pretty boring, just a lot of grunt work. The Justice League did all of the fun stuff.” Dan lifted his head enough to show off some sharp fangs in a grin that actually wasn’t that scary, even when he turned it on Jason. “So, who’s this guy, don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

”Jason.” Jason introduced himself with an inclination of his head, Eddie and Marla weren’t scared, so that meant it was safe, right?

”We’re trying to figure out what the Devourer of Young Souls is, so Jason can magic punch it,” Eddie delivered a punch to his own palm as he said it, then moved in to wave his hands over the cards, “but we haven’t found much yet.” He frowned at the fruits of their research for a moment, but it quickly turned into a grin, as Jason noticed many expressions that weren’t grins did with the other boy, when he turned back to Dan. “Have you ever heard of it?”

”Why would he know?” Even the S’aru didn’t know enough to tell Jason exactly where it was, and it was kind of hard to imagine any one person knowing more than **he** did.

”Cause he’s Blue Devil, the coolest superhero in the **world** Jason,” Eddie said it like this was another of the things Jason would have known if he spent more time away from the acres, like how there were so many kinds of dogs and he couldn’t eat ice cream that fast without getting a headache, no matter how hard he tried – Jason hadn’t remembered how cold it was; ice cream wasn’t something that could be carried up to the Acres – , “and he got his powers by beating a demon who wanted to eat people. I bet he knows all about this stuff.”

”Really?” Jason looked at the man again, this time under the light of Eddie’s description, and it wasn’t hard to fit it together. There were plenty of stories back home about Demon’s who cursed mortals who’d beaten them to look a certain way, or granted them powers as a rewards. He’d heard a little about superheroes, about one superhero mostly, but Talia had made it seem as though that man could do **anything**. If this superhero was even better, and had already defeated a demon, then maybe could find the Devourer.

”Well maybe not the **coolest**.” Dan turned away, a hand going to the back of his neck as color flushed his face.

”He’s also really modest.” Eddie twisted to whisper in Jason’s ear.

”A virtue.” Jason nodded. In those stories about demons, the slayers usually got too cocky and made huge mistakes after they’d gotten their powers. That this one hadn’t was also a very good sign.

”Oh.” Eddie snapped his fingers then pointed at Jason. “I bet you’ve never seen the Blue Devil movie, right?”

”I don’t think so.” The only movie he could remember seeing with a blue person in it was about a genie, something else he’d been warned to stay away from in the event he ever came by one. Beating one of those would actually work about as well as beating the Devourer would, now that he thought about it, but they weren’t really **evil** most of the time, so Jason didn’t really want to pick a fight with one.

”It’s awesome, my aunt made it, and Dan’s the star, so you **know** it’s the best movie ever made,” Eddie said, and Jason didn’t **know** that, but if Eddie did, that was probably enough. You’ve gotta watch it, quick, before someone comes to pick you up! We’ve got a couple hours, right?”

”Think so.” Jason replied. They had given him the whole day, and it wasn’t even getting dark yet. But then it was very bright here, and Jason didn’t know how dark it actually got.

”Great, we can watch it in your office, right Aunt Marla?”

”Who am I to deny Danny’s fan club more members?” Marla said, resting a hand on Dan’s shoulder as the man turned his eyes skywards. “Just don’t make a mess okay.”

”We won’t, promise.” Eddie gave her a brief hug, then jumped up and pulled Jason out of his seat too. “You’re gonna **love** it, I promise!”

Eddie’s Aunt’s office was a room inside the biggest building of the complex. A big, bright room furnished with lots of space and all sorts of strange paintings, oddly shaped ornaments. Against one wall was a desk around which sat a trio of squishy looking chairs and above them was a TV. Across from those was plushy orange sofa that just screamed 'no sitting or else', just like the one he remembered being yelled at to stay off. He tried to keep far away from it when he followed Eddie into the room, his Aunt seemed nice, and he didn’t want her to get mad at him too.

Turned out keeping away was for nothing and Eddie promised that the sofa was for sitting on, and Marla was more likely to be mad at them for sitting on the floor than messing it up.

Jason didn’t remember enough about movies to know if Blue Devil really was the best one ever made, but while he was watching it with Eddie, it was easy to believe it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried editing this one, but I'm also way too tired to have caught all of my mistakes, sorry.


	4. Chapter 4

There were two talking points Eddie assigned to the preposition he'd brought up to his aunt. One, Jason had never been to a sleep over, could she **believe** that? Not once, not even a staying over with family type thing, he'd hardly gotten out at all before they'd made friends. Two, there was only so much the two of them could do together at the studio, but the had to be there all day. Eddie and Marla lived on the beach, there were comics and movies and games where they lived. It would be so much fun, and Eddie would do extra homework to make up for anything he missed, and it would be **fun**.

He was, as could be expected, very surprised when neither of those talking points were what convinced her. No, it was that they they were leaving soon for a shoot location, and she thought the sole reason Eddie wanted Jason over was that they wouldn't be able to see each other for a while. Dan, who'd been nearby programming a light effect at the time had even suggested they exchange addresses so they could write each other if the service was going to be as bad as expected.

And Eddie **had** tried explaining to both of them that that **wasn't** why. Jason didn't need service to get in touch with Eddie, he could stop by for a visit no matter where they were. Marla had laughed and ruffled his hair and praised his imagination, talked about signing him up for creative writing classes to grow his talent and maybe one day he could be a screenwriter.

And well... Eddie **had** tried, it wasn't his fault she thought he and Jason were playing some kind of ongoing game. It got Jason over, _'Only if it's okay with whoever's looking after him, Eddie, and a want a number.'_ Marla found the number Jason produced for someone named 'Talia' was satisfactory and Eddie wasn't going to kick up too much of a fuss and get the whole thing overturned.

"First, I gotta show you my workshop, and the beach!" They'd hardly set their feet on the ground and Eddie was tugging Jason across the drive way by his free arm, the other being occupied carrying the duffle bad that had been dropped of at the studio by a guy who'd looked like with a little more makeup, could have been an actor in a mafia movie. "You've never been to the beach before, right? Some of the he shells around here look like **aliens**. Actually, now I think of it, some of em might really be aliens."

"Not too far from the house past six!" Marla called after them as she retrieved the night's haul of thai and pizza - it was a special occasion that allowed for a little extra junk food - from the back of the car. "And be extra careful with those tools around Jason, m'kay."

"I know!" Eddie shot her a thumbs up over his shoulder, "We'll behave, right Jayce?"

Jason, his mouth stuffed full of the marshmallows that that had been included in his over night bag, mimicked Eddie's use of a thumbs up for his answer.

**ooo**

"It's not as good as the one Dan made, but my Aunt said I got years to make it **perfect**."

"It's armor." Jason said, awed as he turned Eddie's forearm, clad now in a bright orange glove overlaying a harder metallic armor the color of Essence's Blood Blade. When Eddie had called it a suit, Jason had been expecting something sewn together out of cloth, not this. He'd never seen armor meant to cover the whole body this way.

"It's not just armor." Eddie huffed, tugging his hand free and propping both of them on his hips, he took a leap backwards. "It makes me stronger, and faster, and more agile." He hopped on his toes a few times, jabbing at the air with his fists. "Bet I could even take you in this." He grinned proudly at Jason, his eyes crinkling shut behind the tinted orange visor covering them.

"So it's magic, huh?" Jason smirked at the claim as he folded his arms. It wasn't that he was **sure** of it, he and Eddie had never so much as sparred before, so even without the suit Jason couldn't have been sure.

"No." But the taunt got the expected affronted gasp out of Eddie, and the smaller boy charged at Jason with a shout. The are was small, too small to maneuver properly, but Jason still managed to evade Eddie's initial lunge, leaping over Eddie's extended arm, he flipped and touched down as far from Eddie as he could. It wasn't far enough. Jason's attempt to duck under Eddie's next lunge resulted in him tripping on a slippery black fluid and Eddie's arms wrapping around his middle, strong as the metal they were encased in, the hold was too tight for Jason to break out of. "It's science!" Eddie crowed. Then to Jason's horror, Eddie dug his fingers into Jason's ribs and commenced to tickle a fluffy of loud, uncontrollable laughter from his hostage

"Not fair, I tripped." Jason said though the laughter, he struggled to escape, merry tears gathering at his eyes, there were too many delicate seeming instruments everywhere to risk a throw, and all of his squirming accomplished nothing.

Done with his torture, Eddie released Jason, and again sprung back, putting some distance between them. "Best outta three?" He titled his head, crooking his fingers at Jason in challenge.

Jason hummed, settling into a crouched stance that would afford him more ease of movement. Eddie was too strong to take head on, so he'd have to evade until he could find some other way to...

"Gopher, I'm sure I recently said something about your workshop and you friend not so long ago." Marla appeared at the doorway, arms crossed and brows raised, her foot making a dull thumping sound as she tapped it on the wooden floors.

"We **are** being careful." Eddie said, his body language turning plaintive.

"Yeah, we didn't even touch the tools." Jason affirmed.

"And the tool Eddie's wearing?" Marla came forward, setting hand each on both Eddie and Jason's heads as she leaned over, shortening herself to an approximation of their heights."Hm?"

"I'm just showing Jayce how it works." Eddie said.

"Uh huh." She nodded and looked to Jason for confirmation.

"Eddie thinks it makes him faster than me."

"It does!" Eddie yelled. "I caught him."

"Did you now?"

"I tripped." Jason said.

"He fell prey to his environment." Eddie insisted.

"The suit is an unfair advantage, too, don't you think?" She asked, a drop on concern filtering through her otherwise playful tone.

"I coul still win." Jason assured her.

"You could, but you wont." Eddie tossed back, confident in his eventual victory.

Marla huffed in acquiescence, "Fine, but outside." She released them and pointed at the door. "Didn't you want to show Jason the beach? It's going to be too dark soon."

"Oh yeah." For a moment, Eddie looked at Jason, his brow creased in thought, and then, much faster than Jason had yet seen him move, he shot out a hand, yelling, "You're it!" Then ran out the room, grabbing a long trident as he went.

"No!" Jason screamed back and took off after him, leaving a softly laughing Marla in his wake.

"Not too far," She called after them, "And you have two hours before dinner!"

Both Jason and Eddie called out their affirmations, between the gleeful shrieks of laughter they let loose as they began their game in earnest.

**ooo**

"Stars are different here." Jason sucked in a deep breath to replenish how much of it he had lost in between all of the chasing and being chased he's endured since he and Eddie had left the house. Everything, it seemed to Jason, was different here, he couldn't hardly imagine what it would be like living here all the time.

"I guess you must live real far away." Eddie, equally exhausted lay next to Jason on the coarse, white sand that bordered more water than Jason had seen at once since…

"Essence says it'd take a long time for me to get here on my own, f'I ever tried." Out of habit, Jason looked about for his usual out of the acres protector, but for the first time since she's brought him here, Essence wasn't around. It was safe enough that she trusted he'd be okay in the care of his hosts. She'd had more important things to do tonight.

"Guess it'd be super hard for me to ever see where you live." Eddie mused. "I can't even see her."

""She's doing that on purpose." Jason told him. "We don't leave much, and she doesn't like it when strangers look at her." Jason told him. "Be fun to show you around the acres, but most people can't get in." Jason wondered if Eddie would be as surprised by the difference between their worlds as Jason had been. The only person who ever did, other than those who lived there, was Talia, and most times she waited elsewhere for him to be brought to her for their visits.

"Cool." Eddie said, stretching his arms above his head, he frowned when the large shoulder guards of his suit got in the way. He looked out at the waves. "Wish we were old enough my Aunt would let us make a bonfire, that's the best thing to do on the beach."

"I like this." Jason grabbed a handful of the cool sand as he sat up, then rubbed it between his hands, delighting in the light, tickling scraping against his palms. "It's all wet and clumpy back home."

"You like everything." Eddie accused with a smile.

Jason hummed as he dusted the last of the sand from his fingers, and idea forming. "You know what I like most?" He asked, shuffling within reach of Eddie.

"What?"

"That you're it!" Jason slapped his palm at Eddie's chest and took off, putting as much distance between them as he could before Eddie realized what had happened.

It took a few seconds, but Eddie was determined to make up the difference. Whether he would have or not was a question left unanswered, because Marla called them in soon after.

**ooo**

As sleepovers went, any get togethers that involved preteens really, but especially sleepovers. Especially when the preteens in question were Marla's incredibly creative, energetic boy and a friend whose energy matched his better than any child Marla had yet met. She'd expected a night of screaming, games, possibly something dangerous if she hadn't managed to keep them out of Eddie's workshop for most of it.

It was surprising, then, that after their two hours of running and screaming out on the beach, they'd settled down rather easily. Dinner had been loud and apparently a very interesting experience for their guest, the woman Marla had spoken to hadn't mentioned any dietary restrictions, and Jason liked everything despite his unfamiliarity, so Marla didn't think on it too hard.

They were washed up and ready for bed before nine, Eddie in the Blue Devil pajamas he'd been so elated to receive not long after Marla's legal guardianship had been approved, and Jason matching in the very new seeming Batman sleepwear.

They were so well behaved, electing to spend the rest of their sleepover on a movie night, that Marla felt comfortable leaving them to their own devices while she finalized all the loose ends for the shoot she and Eddie would be leaving for the next night.

Campsite bookings, an attempt at setting up some kind of working communications system other than satellite phones, supplies, all of the equipment they'd need to bring along. Safety, with Dan and now also Jesse around, was likely a non-issue, but unlike her little Gopher, Marla was not content to trust everything to them. Maybe a year ago, but not now.

That last kink took so long working out, by the time it was done, the house had fallen silent. Eddie's running commentary and Jason's occasional questions thrown in with the backdrop of the movie long since faded.

Marla got up from her crumpled position in front of her computer and went to go and check on them, stretching out the pain her temporarily bad posture had inflicted on her back. She hadn't yet reached Eddie's room when their soft spoke conversation reached her.

"... because my parents didn't want me anymore." Marla's boy said, sounding too old and too certain of something so harsh, and so, as much as Marla would never, **ever** allow it to be said within Superman's spitting distance of Eddie, so true. It sent a spear of ice tearing through her insides, ripping apart each piece of her it came into contact with.

"My mom didn't want me either…" Jason's voice was soft when it followed Eddie's the next part coming only after a long pause. "She sold me."

"What!" Eddie's sudden shout was loud enough to startle Marla, three doors down, she could imagine it did more to the other boy. "For, you mean for **money**?"

"No for…" Jason began, sarcasm permeating even just those two words in a way they shouldn't have been able to coming from someone so young. It made the emotion coming through the next word only that much more visceral. "Yeah." Jason sighed.

For a long handful of moments there was only silence, long enough that Marla almost started forwards again. Unsure of what she was going to do, unsure even of what she was wearing, this late into the conversation, but feeling there was something that did need doing. Eddie did it before she got the chance."

"That's, it's horrible. I think mine they might have **paid** to get rid of me even but that's not... That's the sorta thing you gotta so to jail for." Eddie drifted off, his voice tightening and drying up.

"Maybe she did, I figure she was real shady anyhow. I'm better off where I am and I don't really want to know where she is now." It was an attitude way too blase for something that any **adult** in their right mind would have taken very seriously, "Just thought it would help some, letting you know I think I'd miss her if I remembered better." But Jason was just a child, he probably couldn't even understand what could have happened to him. "Do you… miss yours?"

"I don't know mine are either, but I, they were okay, they yelled a lot, at eachother **mostly** but I miss them now and then… a lot sometimes."

In Ireland, Marla's lousy, stupid older brother and his equally lousy, equally stupid wife were having a second honeymoon in Ireland, then moving on to France, Germany, broadcasting it proudly and extensively on the internet, yet having no time to stop and call their sweet, brilliant son.

"Talia told me, some people don't deserve to be parents, that sometimes, it's better they give up and leave it to people who do." Jason said. Marla hadn't spoken with this Talia long, organising the sleepover had been very efficient, but Marla thought she might have enjoyed more of the woman. "Way I see it Marla is a billion times better."

 **"** She is." Eddie agreed readily. "Aunt Marla's the best." There was some rustling as one of the boys moved around. "Talia sounds real cool too."

"Yeah." Jason said, soft and fond. "I don't get to see her all the time, but I miss her a whole lot more n my mom."

"Guess we were both real lucky, huh?" Eddie's voice was cheery again, as if there'd never been a shred of sadness in it.

Jason hummed in agreement, the sound wavering just a little. He cleared his throat and spoke his tone having evened out considerably. "Anyway, weren't we gonna watch something else before we went to sleep?"

"Uh, oh yeah, but this one is actually scary, sure you can handle it?"

"Just tell me how they do the things." Jason said vaguely as the intro scene for another movie sounded down the hall.

"Yeah, yeah, that parts not much different from the others."

It was there Marla left them, feeling like she'd already heard too much of their conversation while simultaneously not nearly enough. Stressed and relieved.

She had hoped that getting the papers drawn up and signed, that hugging **her** kid everyday, doing her best to make sure he knew he was wanted, that he was loved, everyday would be enough to wash away his parents abandonments entirely. She'd **known** it wouldn't, and still she'd hoped. That wasn't the sort of thing that **could** be washed away, not by anything. Being confronted by that, and through an overhead conversation at that, from her cheerful Gopher was disheartening.

At the same time, to know he'd found a confidant to have those kinds of conversations with and feel understood. Many people never found friends like that, and hers had one already.

The details of exactly **what** had resulted on Jason's end to cause that understanding was another matter. As much as the child seemed happy, healthy and given as much freedom as any other… She would have to watch closely, just to be sure.

Marla didn't bring up the things she'd overheard, but the next morning she hugged just that much tighter, let her customary hair ruffle last just that much longer while he giggled and brushed her off, wanting to seem older than he was in front of his friend. As if anything short of death would stop her from showing her baby he was wanted, no matter how old he got. After a moments thought, she pulled his friend into a shorter hug too.

As she listened to their shouting and laughter coming up from the beach, she regretted even more that she hadn't been able to establish a more stable form of communication for the duration of the shoot. It really was such a shame to have to separate them for what to a child would feel like an inordinate amount of time.

Eddie didn't seem to mind, when it came time for them to gather their things for departure, Eddie said goodbye to his friend as if they'd be seeing eachother the very next day.

Marla thought they were being optimistic, continuing their game that now included being able to see eachother no matter how far apart they got.

She never would have guessed that it was because Eddie **would** be seeing Jason the very next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, a very late night update, so errors may abound.

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't going to get very long, maybe three or four short chapters. I just wanted to work on something light.


End file.
